Mission: Diffusion
by DeanCasLover22
Summary: Starts where the Season 6 finale left off. Sam and Dean have to deal with the consequences of Castiel's actions and find a way to get millions of evil souls out of him before it's too late for Cas and possibly, the world. The 1st part in a 2 part series.
1. Chapter 1

**Mission: Diffusion**

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><p>"You're not God, Cas," Dean said, trying not to show his fear as he stared his once-angel friend in the eye.<p>

"No, I'm not Him," Castiel agreed coldly. "I'm better."

Dean shook his head. "Those souls you soaked up are evil, Cas. Nothing good comes out of evil. Haven't you learned that by now? After everything?"

Castiel glared at him. "I won't say it again, Dean. Bow or die."

Dean looked away from him, pained.

The creature standing before him wasn't his Castiel anymore. The monster souls, their power, had already transformed him into something the Cas Dean knew before the Apocalypse ended, would have done everything possible not to become.

Hell, even Castiel's future-alternate timeline druggie self would have probably squirmed at the thought of himself taking such a dark path.

How had Castiel become desperate enough to risk himself and the world to kill Raphael? Why didn't he see what he was doing before it was too late?

"No."

Dean wasn't sure how he'd managed to get the word out after seeing the darkness on Castiel's face and feeling the dangerous power radiating off of him, but he had.

"What did you say?" Castiel barked.

Dean dared to look back at him. "I said no. We're not going to bow to you. You know we don't bow to anyone."

Castiel's face became grim, and for a split second Dean wondered if he had reached the old Cas, but his hopes were quickly crushed.

"Fine, then," Castiel huffed. "You leave me no choice."

He raised his hand, palm towards Dean, and it began to light up.

Realizing what Castiel was about to do to him, Dean quickly ducked and dived to the ground in Bobby's direction.

The light that shot out of Castiel's hand barely missed him by a hair.

"We need to run!" Dean shouted at Sam and Bobby.

Suddenly, Sam fell to his knees, hands gripping his head tightly.

"Shit," Dean cursed, rushing over, past Castiel, to help his brother.

Dean swung one of Sam's lengthy arms over his shoulder and pulled him onto his feet.

"Come on, Sammy. We need to get out of here!"

As he spoke, Castiel threw another ray of light at them and Dean had to dodge it, nearly toppling over because his brother's weight had put him off balanced.

"Damn it, Cas!" Dean yelled. "Don't do this!"

"You're not allowed to boss me anymore, Dean," Castiel rumbled.

Dean ducked again as Castiel aimed for his head once more, and growled in frustration.

Forget trying to get through to the angel, or whatever the hell Castiel was with the upgrade. He had bigger concerns at the moment.

Dean avoided another hit as he passed Castiel again, and basically dragged Sam out of the room, following Bobby to the outside.

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><p><strong>AN: Short chapter, I know. But I just had to start this story tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to post more soon. And don't worry, Sam and Bobby are going to get more attention in the next chapter and onward. **

**Please let me know what you think of this fic so far. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

Once on the outside of the building, Dean and Bobby stopped running.

"We've got to get out of here fast," Dean said, glancing at Sam.

His brother had passed out.

Bobby nodded. "I'll stay here with Sam and get some supplies out of the Impala. You go get us a car."

Dean hesitated. It's not like he didn't trust Sam's protection to Bobby, he did, but he'd have preferred being the one there instead.

Still, he knew he'd be able to find a getaway car faster than Bobby could, so Dean gave in.

"Alright."

He carried Sam over to the overturned Impala, and leaned him up against the rear door.

"You hang on; you hear me, Sammy?" Dean murmured. "I'm comin' right back."

Dean stood and Bobby approached the car.

"Go on before Mr. Bow-Before-Me comes around," Bobby said gruffly.

Dean gave him a curt nod, and then bolted into a run, heading towards a parking lot that could be seen in the distance.

Bobby meanwhile, immediately got to work.

Using scrap metal, he pried the Impala's crunched trunk open, and slid into the gap. He wasn't sure what to grab, so he grabbed whatever he could see. A wooden stake, shotguns, bullets, chalk, and a journal, probably John's.

It all had been useless against Castiel as an angel, and certainly would be now, when he was powered up with god-like strength and immortality, but Bobby didn't have any idea what else to pick out of the trunk. The angel knife had been lost in Crowley's hideout, but that didn't matter because that too, was useless now.

Once Bobby had pulled out Sam and Dean's duffel bags and placed the weapons and the journal into them, he pushed them over to Sam's side with his foot, and waited for Dean to come back.

It didn't take long.

After a three second wait, Dean blazed down the road, towards him, in a red, four-door 1968 Chevy Chevelle SS.

Bobby was surprised that Dean had found such a fine car just down the street, but his car-admiring side quickly got pushed back once Dean climbed out of it.

"I got the important stuff," Bobby told Dean.

"Good," Dean said. "Put the bags in the back seat. I'll take Sam."

Bobby normally would have protested against being ordered around by a Winchester half his age, but under the circumstances, he didn't.

Instead, he heaved the duffel bags onto his shoulders and carried them over to the Chevelle.

When he'd shoved them into the backseat and turned around, Dean had Sam's arm slung around his shoulder and was almost up to him.

Bobby stepped out of the way and Dean placed Sam on the backseat in a sitting position. When Dean slammed the door shut, Sam's head fell to rest on the window.

Hastily, after one more glance around them, Dean and Bobby lowered themselves into the front of the Chevelle. As soon as he was seated, Dean pressed on the gas. The car jerked forward, its speed jumping from zero to sixty in ten seconds flat.

"I don't know where to go," Dean muttered, running one hand through his hair. "We can't go back to your place; Cas would expect that."

"We've got no other place to go," Bobby grumbled. "At least we've got the panic room back home, though it might not be much use in this case. I didn't have a chance to God proof it yet."

Dean bit his lip and gripped the steering wheel tighter. "We'll be like sitting ducks."

"Got no choice," Bobby huffed.

"I know," Dean snapped.

"Watch your tone with me, boy," Bobby seethed and glared at him.

Dean took a split second to look at Sam through the rear view mirror, then Bobby.

"I'm sorry," Dean breathed. He closed his eyes for a second before opening them to watch the road again. "I just have no clue what to do right now and it frustrates me."

Bobby stared at him. "You don't think it isn't frustrating me? Not an excuse to bite each other's head off. Won't do any good. We just got to try to think of something."

Dean shook his head in agreement, and fell silent.

Bobby did the same, until he glanced over to Dean and saw a strange expression on his face.

"What is it?" he asked.

Dean frowned. "If Cas is all powerful now and doesn't give a damn about us anymore, from what he said, why didn't he follow us out?"

Bobby shrugged. "Probably exactly for that reason. He knows he can get us later. Doesn't mean we get to relax."

"I know," Dean repeated his earlier words, though this time his voice was shaky.

Bobby eyed him. "Want me to drive?"

"I'm fine," Dean mumbled.

"The hell you are," Bobby said under his breath, but he didn't press the issue.

Arguing with a Winchester when they were being stubborn never got anyone anywhere good.

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><p><strong>AN: First chapter was more focused on Dean, this chapter Bobby, next will be Sam. Promise. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

Sam stirred from unconsciousness slowly. He had a terrible, throbbing migraine, which didn't help him any. It just made him want to go back to sleep, a deep sleep, that lacked dreams and physical pain.

The first thing Sam was aware of was that he was extremely warm, but otherwise comfortable. As more awareness came to him, he recognized the feel of Bobby's couch under his back, the puffiness of a pillow, and the softness of one of Bobby's old throws.

Sam opened his eyes and his vision adjusted so he could see the library's ceiling and the sunlight shining through the window clearly. The brightness made Sam groan.

A split second later he heard a chair scrap against the hardwood floor and the heavy footsteps of someone with boots on headed towards him. Dean then came into Sam's view, and he looked down at him with concern.

"Sam, how do you feel?" Dean inquired.

Sam rubbed his temples. "Alright, I guess. I just have a pounding headache."

"I'll go get you some pain medicine," Dean said.

He then ambled off to get a bottle from Bobby's medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

While Dean was gone, Sam braved pushing himself up into a sitting position and regretted it. Sure, he managed to sit up, but it had also worsened his headache times three.

Luckily, it wasn't long before Dean came back with the pill bottle and Sam took two with a sip of water from a cup Dean also provided.

After the pills had gone down, Sam put his head in his hands, before glancing up at his brother. "How long was I out?"

"All night and half the day," Dean replied. "It's one o' clock."

"How'd we get out?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "Luck, and I guess Cas figured he could deal with us later."

"Have you been researching?" Sam questioned.

"Of course we have," Dean answered. "But it's hard to find info on how to protect yourself from God, or something who thinks he is, anyways. All we know is that whatever Cas has become, he is super powerful and a total jackass."

Sam shook his head. Even though he'd suspected that Cas was lying for a while, he hadn't expected him to ingest all of Purgatory's souls and use them to kill Raphael.

_"He should have known better_," Sam thought. "_After all we three have been through, I'd have thought he'd learned that no good comes from the use of evil."_

Sam wished the past year was all just one big nightmare. His time in Hell, his souless self, Castiel's betrayal. Actually, he wished half of his life was a nightmare. Especially the last few years. It seemed he and Dean could never catch a break. There was always something.

"So what's the plan?" Sam asked Dean, deciding to focus on the present.

"Killing Cas is pretty much impossible, so we're going to have to find a way to get those monster souls out of him and back into Purgatory," Dean told him.

Sam nodded in agreement, but something bugged him. He remembered something.

Sam's headache was only starting to begin to fade and the memory was from over two years ago, so it took him a moment to collect it.

"Wait, didn't you tell me once that Death said he could kill God?" Sam inquired.

Dean's eyes became more troubled than they already appeared. "Yeah, he said that when he gave me his ring."

"Then he could help us," Sam pointed out.

"We don't know if Death could actually do it," Dean argued. "He could be full of himself. Besides, we're not going to sic Death on Cas, it's the souls making him act evil. If we can get them out..."

"If we can't find a way, we may not have a choice," Sam interrupted. "I don't like the idea anymore than you do, Dean. He was my friend too. But I doubt that he's just going to go after those that betrayed him. The whole world is in danger, and when it comes down to it..."

Dean sighed. "The world has to come first. But, I'm not going to give up on Cas this soon."

"Never said we should," Sam assured him. "However, I think we should at least get in contact with Death."

Dean shook his head. "I am not going to have Dr. Robert kill me again just to have a chat with Death."

"And I wouldn't let you anyways," Sam said. "I don't know what you were thinking when you did that."

"I was thinking about getting your soul back," Dean muttered.

"Without thinking about the risks to yourself," Sam huffed. "Typical."

"If no temporary limbo, what then?" Dean asked.

Sam pondered this for a moment. "We could look for a summoning ritual or combine several of them. All I know is that you are not going under again."

"Fine," Dean said, giving in. "I'll go find Bobby and ask him if he knows anything or anyone that could help us out."

With that, Dean left Sam and headed out to the back of the salvage yard, leaving Sam to begin flipping through the books on one of Bobby's shelves.

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><p><strong>AN: I've been writing out the main storyline for this fic and a sequel the past few days. I'm pretty excited about this fic. Lots of plans. This first part focuses on what I predict will be the main arch for the 1st half of the upcoming season. The second part will be about the 2nd half, but it will be a bit different. I'm not saying how because it's a surprise. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

In was late. Bobby had gone upstairs to bed and Sam had fallen asleep on the couch hours ago, but Dean was still awake, still at Bobby's desk reading about Death and Purgatory, under the light of Bobby's desk lamp.

He was still searching for a way to save the world from the threat of evil soul-powered Castiel without summoning Death. Without putting Castiel's life at risk. Dean was hoping the books would tell him of a way to force the souls out of Castiel and how to do it, but at 2:00am in the morning, there was still no such luck.

They hadn't even found a way to summon Death, despite Bobby's scouring of all the paranormal books he could find in town throughout the day.

It was only the first day of research, but still, to have not the slightest clue about what Castiel had become or lead on how to stop him was disheartening.

It seemed that this had never happened before or even been recognized as a possibility. If so, the world could very possibly be in worst danger than it was during the Apocalypse and Castiel could be doomed.

Dean hated the idea of that scenario.

Sure he was furious at Castiel, but Dean didn't hate him. He couldn't. Not when he felt like he was partly to blame for the path Castiel took.

He had never given Castiel the benefit of the doubt. He had never let Castiel make a decision and allowed Castiel to become too dependent on him being his moral compass. So dependent, that when Dean stepped out of the hunting life and Castiel had to face the more powerful Raphael, Castiel became lost and desperate. So desperate he partnered up with the first person, or rather demon, willing and able to help him.

Dean knew that the main reason Castiel took a dark path was most likely because of the pride Castiel had gained through helping end the Apocalypse and being resurrected by God, again, in a more powerful state, but he still felt that he could have stopped Castiel from going the whole way. If only he had respected him more and tried harder to reach him the last time they'd talked.

The only way Dean figured he could fix it all was to save Castiel from himself before he did something the old Castiel would regret. He was determined to do it.

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><p><em>I'm never getting out of here,<em> Sam thought panicky. _For eternity Lucifer and Michael will be able to do whatever the hell they want to do to me and Adam. We'll always feel this pain._

Sam screamed as Lucifer snapped his fingers and flames burst on his newly formed skin. The pain was too fierce to allow thought. Only after the fire had burned all the way through his skin, ceased, and then new skin had begun to form, was Sam able to think and move again.

Knowing the healing part wouldn't last long, Sam searched for Adam quickly with his eyes and spotted him in the corner, on the ground, crying out. He was being torn up by the Hellhounds Lucifer had manifested long ago. The real ones couldn't enter the cage, but Lucifer's fake ones were still very effective. Sam had seen this happen to Adam before, had experienced the feeling of those claws digging into his belly more than once himself, but the horror of it hadn't faded.

The helplessness he felt was even worst. He couldn't save Dean from those beasts when he had made his deal, couldn't save Jo when she got torn by one on their hunt for Lucifer, and now he couldn't save Adam from that pain. It was too much to bear.

"Help him," Sam croaked for the thousandth time, his throat parched and constricted.

The words were for Michael, who sat across from him, Lucifer, and Adam, watching on with dull brown eyes, having used his powers to give himself the appearance of his temporary vessel, the young John Winchester. (Lucifer, of course, had chosen Nick's form.)

At first, Lucifer and Michael had fought each other day after day for some time and left Sam and Adam untouched for the most part (there were occasional severe torture sessions) but eventually the angels realized they couldn't go on forever fighting. So, they had focused their attention on Sam and Adam instead.

Michael didn't have the taste for torture like Lucifer did though. He quickly quit. Traded in that past time for doing absolutely nothing except observe and lose himself in thought. It was like he had shut down. Too beside himself for having gotten stuck in this literal hell hold to care about anything else.

Lucifer grinned. "No one's going to help anyone here Sam."

Then he jammed his hand up and under Sam's rib cage...

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><p>"Sam, wake up!" Dean yelled, worried.<p>

He had been just about to try to get some sleep on the floor when Sam had started to thrash around on the couch and make awful loud noises.

After over a minute of thrashing, Sam's eyes shot open and he bolted up into a sit, gasping for air.

"Are you okay?" Dean inquired, gripping Sam's shoulder and looking down at him.

Sam shook his head before glancing up at him.

"We need to get Adam out of the cage, Dean. We have to get him out _now_."

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><p><strong>AN: I'm amazed by how many people have this story on their favorites list and alerts. For those who haven't, come on, let me know what you're thinking about this story so far by reviewing. Thank you all for reading. More next week. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Dean gaped, caught off guard by Sam's sudden announcement. "What?"

"You heard me," Sam said, voice unsteady. "I remember what Lucifer did to us. He didn't just set fire to me; he tortured Adam too. He manifested Hellhounds and had them tear Adam apart while I watched. And Michael, he didn't lift a damn finger. All he did was sit there, lost in his miserable thoughts. We have to get Adam out. I can't imagine what Lucifer is doing to him now that he doesn't have me to mess with."

Dean shook his head. "I tried Sam. When I bargained with Death, I tried to get _both_ your souls out. But Death wouldn't have it; he would only allow for one."

"And you chose mine," Sam sighed.

"I had to Sam," Dean told him. "Your soulless self was a scary son of a bitch. He almost killed Bobby. I couldn't let him continue walking around stone cold, and I wasn't going to let you rot in Hell."

"I understand that," Sam paused to look his brother in the eye, "But we need to find a way. We can't leave Adam in Hell. We might not know him all that well, but he's still our half-brother, still family. There has to be a way to save him."

Dean nodded in agreement. He felt the same. It's just well, with all that had happened since Sam got his soul back, he'd been so busy he'd forgotten about it. Forgotten about Adam. Dean suddenly felt even worst.

_I am a terrible person,_ he thought shamefully.

"I don't think Bobby has any books here that could help us, but I could take one of his cars down to the Library," Sam said.

Dean shrugged. He doubted that their answers were hidden in a book. They'd probably have to go out hunting and question some demons, or if they dared, an angel.

Just then, Bobby stomped into the room in his old, faded striped pajamas, and for once, no hat. It was a sight that might have been humorous to an outsider, but a sight that the Winchesters were used to after many nights of sleeping in his house.

"What's all the ruckus about?" he grumbled. "And why are you talkin about going to the Library in the middle of the freakin night?"

"Sam had a dream about Hell," Dean replied. "And we've decided to work on finding a way to get Adam out of the cage."

Bobby's face turned grim. "Thought you'd already searched for a way and came up empty handed?"

"I did," Dean admitted. "But that was then, and this is now. Maybe we can find something new."

Bobby frowned. "What about our little issue with the 'new god'?"

"We can do both," Sam jumped in. "Can't we?"

Bobby didn't look sure, but the pleading in Sam's eyes made him give in. "Fine. But if you're gonna take on more than one project, you might as well take on a hunt too."

"Bobby, we don't have time...," Dean started to argue.

Bobby stopped him in his tracks with a look. "Several people have been disappearing from their homes in Chicago. Police think someone is kidnapping them, but to me it sounds like some monster might turning them. Especially since one of them turned up back at their apartment and killed his wife by ripping her to shreds. Police shot him down in an alley with silver bullets."

"Werewolf?" Dean couldn't help but ask.

"Not the right moon faze, if you didn't notice," Bobby said, picking up a newspaper clipping from his desk and passing it to Dean.

He glanced between him and Sam. "I can manage the research while you're gone. Just because we have some problems to fix, doesn't mean the monsters stop killing. In the morning, you two better head on out and do your damn jobs."

Sam's lips curved upwards, but he recovered, and said seriously, "Yes, sir."

Bobby turned to Dean, and the Winchester nodded.

He was actually grateful to have something to do besides read and think. Hunting would be a good distraction.

A distraction he desperately needed at the moment.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry about the unusually late update. Life wouldn't give me a moment of spare time. I'm glad to be able to write this again. :D**


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as dawn's light began to shine into Bobby's library Sam and Dean were awake and they began dressing up.

Bobby cooked up some eggs and bacon and they all ate together at his table before he went out back to work on his latest restoration project, an orange 1972 Chevy Nova.

After cleaning a couple of their guns, the Winchesters packed up and headed outside.

The Impala had been towed to Bobby's by a mechanic friend of his the night before, but Dean hadn't gotten a chance to work on it, so with Bobby's permission the brothers were using his car for the hunt.

"Are you sure you're well enough to go on this hunt?" Dean questioned, studying his brother in the passenger seat.

"I'm fine, Dean," Sam assured him. "I feel normal."

_Physically at least, _he thought.

Dean seemed to be thinking similarly; Sam could tell by his expression.

"Well, then," Dean said, "Let's get this show on the road."

He turned on the radio, and they shot out of Bobby's driveway to a _Rolling Stones_ tape.

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><p>The next day, in the afternoon, while Dean and Sam were knee deep in their investigation, Bobby was at his desk in the library looking over a stack of books he'd ordered online the other day and had rush delivered.<p>

He was absorbed in reading about magical spells when the sound of giant wings resonated in the room.

Startled, Bobby jumped to his feet and fear sprung up in him.

Was Castiel here?

But it wasn't Castiel who stood before him.

_She_ was stunning, or rather, her twenty-something vessel was. She was purely angelic in her appearance, with her wavy long yellow blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. She was at an average height for a woman; Bobby guessed five-five or five-six.

She was silent, starring at him, and it creeped Bobby out, so he decided to speak first.

"Who are you?" he inquired.

The angel gave him a small smile. "I'm Sofiel."

"Why are you here?" Bobby asked, tense.

"Relax," Sofiel said. "I'm here because I need your help."

Bobby was surprised. "Why me?"

"I need to know where the Winchesters are," Sofiel replied.

"You're out of luck," Bobby told her. "They left yesturday morning to go hunting."

"Surely you know where they went?" Sofiel frowned.

Bobby narrowed his eyes. "Even if I did, I sure wouldn't tell you. Go tell Castiel..."

Sofiel narrowed her eyes, and was obviously upset by his accusation. "I am not with Castiel. In fact, I used to be on Raphael's side until I realized the traditional way might not necessarily the best way. I have been on Earth for seven months now, wondering around and occasionally visiting Balthazar until he decided to help out Castiel. Then I just wondered and interacted with your race. Strange, you are, but I learned a lot from being around your species. We are a lot more alike than the other angels would like to admit. Especially now, after the war."

"Why do you need help from Sam and Dean?" Bobby inquired.

"Castiel killed Balthazar, my friend," Sofiel said, eyes angry, "And something has happened to him. He is not...himself. He is something much more powerful. He tried to kill me for treachery, for having sided with Raphael. I pleaded with him, told him I had long chosen to be free of it all. That he should understand this, after all, he himself had turned his back on Heaven before. Still, he wouldn't listen, wouldn't see I had changed. I barely got away with my life. If it wasn't for a spell Balthazar had taught me long ago to prevent upper management from blowing me up, I wouldn't be here."

"Cas is claiming to be the new god," Bobby told Sofiel. "I don't trust you, but I can tell you that. That, and that even if I gave you Dean and Sam's location, they wouldn't be able to help you. We don't have a clue about how to stop him."

Sofiel appeared to be stunned. "How did Castiel become so powerful; do you know that?"

"Purgatory's souls," Bobby answered. "Every single dead monster's soul is swimming in him. He's tapping into their powers."

"Impossible," Sofiel shook her head, horrified. "That cannot be done."

"Well, then Castiel just did the impossible," Bobby said.

"I'll help you," Sofiel told him, an angelic equivalent of determination on her face. "I'll even tell you how to properly protect your house from angels after everything is said and done, if you want."

"I'm not working with you," Bobby refuted. "Dean, Sam, and I have had enough of betrayal to last a lifetime, if not more. You angels are all the same. You use people, make them think they can trust you, then turn your backs on them."

"I'm not like Castiel," Sofiel said. "I'm different."

Bobby huffed. "Cas said something similar once."

"You don't need to trust me to work with me," Sofiel pointed out. "I don't even want your help. I can help_ you_ stop him. Just give me something to do."

"How about you find a way to summon Death?" Bobby asked with a dash of sarcasm. "Preferably hand serve him to us."

Sofiel rolled her eyes. "As if I have control over Death. Why do you want to talk with him anyways?"

"Because the boys seem to think he could be the only one with the ability to stop Cas besides God Himself," Bobby replied.

Sofiel nodded. "I'll look for a spell then. No promises."

Within an instant she was gone, feathers rustling.

Bobby grunted. "At least she's smart enough not to make any promises."

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><p><strong>AN: I know the OC Sofiel probably was possibly a pretty big curve ball for some, but give her a chance. I promise she is not a romantic interest for anyone, in less you want to imagine it. Sofiel's just my tool. :P **


	7. Chapter 7

When Sam and Dean arrived back at Bobby's a few days later, Dean's right arm was bandaged up.

"What happened?" Bobby inquired.

"Turns out the thing you sent us after was one of Eve's leftover experiments, and there were three of them. If their weakness hadn't been silver, I'd probably have gotten a worst injury than a wrist sprain," Dean snapped.

"Come on, Dean," Sam said. "It's not Bobby's fault."

"I know," Dean sighed. "I just hate the idea of being forced onto my ass here for a couple days over a _sprain_."

Bobby shook his head. "I don't think it's going to be boring here much longer. Unfortunately, I still don't have the Enochian symbols on the windows right. An angel popped in here earlier while you were gone."

"What did he want?" Dean asked.

"_She_ wants to help us find a way to summon Death," Bobby told him. "Seems we have an enemy in common."

"What did Cas do to her?" Sam questioned.

"Apparently Balthazar had more than one close friend," Bobby answered.

Dean and Sam glanced at each other, then looked back at Bobby.

"You sure we can trust her?" Dean inquired.

Bobby snorted. "_Trust_ _her_? After _everything_? Hell no. But anything she tells us may come in handy. She might be our only way to finding or creating a spell that'll get Death to come to us."

Dean nodded and Sam agreed.

It wouldn't be the first time they worked with someone they didn't trust to get what they needed. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

* * *

><p>They were eating pizza in the kitchen and reading a spell book later that night when they heard a flap of wings coming from another room.<p>

Seconds later, Sofiel gracefully strolled out of the library to stand before them.

"You must be the famous Winchester brothers." Sofiel nodded at Sam and Dean.

They didn't move a muscle to return the greeting. Instead, Dean got straight to the point.

"You find anything?"

Sofiel narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I wouldn't be here if I hadn't."

"So, what did you find Roma?" Dean prompted.

"My name is Sofiel, not _Roma_," Sofiel huffed. "And do not get snappy with me. I did the most work to get this spell, not you, and just because your friend betrayed you does not mean you get to judge me."

"Can we see it?" Sam asked calmly.

Sofiel craned her neck to look at him and shook her head. "I didn't write it down. I memorized it. Besides, it is in Enochian. You couldn't do it on your own even if you tried several times. I can do it easily, and I have all the things needed for the spell in my pockets."

"What do you need us to do?" Bobby questioned.

"Be patient and let me do my work," Sofiel said, starring at Dean as she spoke.

She'd either sensed Dean's inner protests or read his mind. He wasn't sure which. Either way, her cold stare made Dean put them aside.

"We will," Dean hesitantly promised. "But we're the ones who are going to talk with the guy."

"Death's all yours," Sofiel assured him.

And then she turned on her heels and headed back into the library.

The Winchesters and Bobby weren't far behind.

* * *

><p>The spell was pretty complex. Not only did Sofiel have to say a whole page worth of Enochian, but she also had to draw some of its symbols on a black mat and burn a bunch of rare herbs over a creamy colored candle stick.<p>

The ritual lasted nearly a half hour, long enough for the anticipation in the room to become nearly unbearable.

Unbearable for everyone in the room except Sofiel, who stayed cool, calm, and collected.

In some ways, she reminded Dean a lot of Castiel. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Before he could decide, Sofiel had sprinkled the last of her herbs onto the burning candle, and the flame burst.

When it died, Death was standing before them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello, Death. **


	8. Chapter 8

"Why did you summon me?" Death rasped as he glared at them all.

His eyes focused on Dean. "Dean, I have a very busy schedule. You of all people should know that."

"We'll just take a minute of your time," Dean promised.

Death lifted his cane, brought it to a stand in front of him, and placed both of his hands over its top. "I'm listening."

"We need your help," Sam rushed.

Dean shook his head. He knew what Death was going to say to that.

"I'm not here to help you," Death said. "Everything is a waste of my time in less it affects me and my work."

"This does affect you," Dean told him. "During the Apocalypse you said you could defeat God and that you wanted to, right?"

"Yes." Death nodded, encouraging Dean to continue.

He had caught his interest.

"One of the angels, Castiel, has drawn all of Purgatory's souls into himself," Dean started. "And because he's tapping into the souls' powers, he is practically invincible and believes that he is the new God."

Death took a step forward. "Why do you think that this is important to me?"

"We just thought you would want to help us get the souls out of him," Sam answered. "Since surely one God is enough."

_He's got it_, Dean thought, feeling proud of his brother for learning so fast.

"Yes, one is indeed enough," Death agreed. "But see, even millions of souls can't turn an angel into a creature as powerful as God and I. Nothing could. So while this Castiel may not be the angel he was before, he is most definitely not God's equal. Therefore, I don't have any reason to be against him."

"You will if he tears into us humans and you have a mess of souls to reap," Bobby grumbled.

"What purpose would he have to do that?" Death inquired.

Sofiel stepped out from behind Sam and Dean, having decided to put in her five cents as well. "He's attacking angels for not being on his side during the war and in his state of mind, we believe he won't stop there. It is very likely he will move onto humans. That he will make them choose between him and God and smite those who choose the latter. That could be thousands, if not millions of people. I assume that wouldn't allow for any vacations for a long, long,_ long _time, am I right?"

Death stiffened at her attack. "I suppose you are right. I guess I could afford some time to hunt down this Castiel."

"How are you going to get the souls out of him?" Dean questioned curiously.

"I'm not going to do that," Death replied. "I am going to kill him."

"There must be some other way," Dean protested.

"Not in my eyes," Death told him.

Dean closed his eyes. _I knew this would happen. We just signed Castiel's death certificate._

"Thank you for informing me of this problem," Death said. "I give you my gratitude. Maybe I'll even get that half-brother of yours out of the cage after I get my hands on the over-powered fool."

Death turned to leave but paused. "Oh, and Sam, I just wanted to say before I go, that I'm impressed. I've never seen a soul so put together, considering all that you've been through. How long has it been since the wall has fallen?"

"Like you care," Dean snapped.

"Dean...," Sam hissed, a warning to be more careful.

Death smiled. "Sam's got it right, Dean. You should be a little more respectful considering who I am and what I have done for you. Especially if you're still interested in more, and I was just curious."

He then suddenly froze in his spot and narrowed his eyes in concentration, making the Winchesters, Bobby, and Sofiel nervous.

"I must go," he eventually announced, tapping his cane against the floor. "I've got a soul that's growing impatient waiting for me."

And with that, Death was gone.

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><p><strong>AN: What can I say, I'm inspired, so I decided to update again. I also didn't want to leave you on the last hook, so I left you on a new one, lol. **

**Anyways, what do you think? Did I get Death right?**


	9. Chapter 9

After the disappointing meeting with Death, the Winchesters distracted themselves with hunts and Sofiel disappeared, knowing her best chance of survival was to go on the run until either Death killed Castiel or Sam and Dean saved him.

Weeks passed by, then months, and summer turned into fall. There were no signs that Death or Castiel were near, nor any leads on how to save both Castiel and Adam.

However, Sam and Dean did get information on Crowley, thanks to a devil's trap, the demon knife, and a couple of naive demons.

According to demonic sources, ever since Castiel had powered up Crowley had been keeping a low profile, spending most of his time in Hell.

He too, had been searching for a way to get the souls out of Castiel, but only so he could transfer them into himself.

The last demon Dean and Sam had captured had told them that Crowley was being bitchier than ever before, and he actually hoped they would find him and kill him.

"Good riddance," the demon had chirped, and then had proceeded to tell them where Crowley was hiding when he was on Earth. It turned out to be an abandoned mansion not that far outside of Los Angeles.

The location hadn't surprised either of the brothers since they both knew how much Crowley loved classiness.

After exorcising their captive, the Winchesters headed out to California, hoping that they'd get lucky and find the mansion occupied.

* * *

><p>The marble colored mansion that Crowley was using as a haven on Earth was a huge step up from the warehouse and the old house Crowley had stayed in previously after his old mansion was destroyed, but unfortunately, still lacked sanitation.<p>

It was, however, being cleaned up by his followers bit by bit, and Crowley had high hopes of it becoming the perfect place to relax once everything was said and done.

Once he had taken care of the Winchesters and Castiel. Once he had the power that he believed was rightfully his. Once nothing could touch him.

* * *

><p>The address the demon had given them was exact. It took no time at all for Sam and Dean to find the mansion that he was obviously in the middle of renovating.<p>

They had formed a plan of attack on their way to California, so as soon as it got dark they wasted no time at all to get to it. They hid the Impala in an empty, rickety shed down the street, and walked up to the mansion, hiding behind trees as they went.

However, as Dean worked on forcing a back bedroom window to unlock, Sam couldn't help but be concerned about the fact that their plan wasn't flawless.

"I'm not sure anymore if this is a good idea," Sam whispered. "Maybe we should have lured him to us; that way he would be away from his own turf."

"We're doing this _now_," Dean hissed. "We're not going to let him run around any longer. The longer we wait, the greater the chance he has of finding a way to transfer the souls to his body. That, above all else, cannot happen."

Sam sighed, and then nodded.

There was no use arguing with Dean when he was determined to hunt something, especially when he was hunting it down for revenge.

The lock on the window clicked and Dean pushed it all the way up.

"You first," Dean said.

Sam quietly slid through the open window, and then glanced around the room as Dean joined him.

There were no lights on, so Dean and Sam pulled out their flashlights from the bags they carried and cautiously inspected the area.

There was just a king sized bed and a bureau in the room, nothing else except dust and spider webs. It was obvious the room hadn't been lived in for a while.

"Where do you want to set up the trap?" Dean inquired in a low voice.

Sam nodded in the direction of the bed. "Just at the foot board of that. Could move the bed a bit and use it as a way to reach the ceiling."

Dean mentally measured the distance between the ceiling and the bed. "You'll be too tall. I'll have to do it. You stand guard."

Sam agreed, and pulled a shotgun loaded with rock salt out of his bag.

He approached the bedroom entrance stealthily and peered into the hallway.

"We're clear right now."

"Good," Dean said as he took a quick-dry spray paint bottle out of his bag.

He threw it onto the bed then tugged on the bottom of it until the bed was in the center of the room. Then he climbed onto it and got to work.

Minutes later he finished, got off the bed, and pushed it back into place.

"Now for the dangerous part."

Sam turned at the sound of Dean's voice and watched him as he approached.

"You ready?" Dean asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Sam muttered.

Dean led the way out into the hallway and fired his gun, knowing it would instantly alert the demons that they were there.

It seconds, two male demons appeared, dressed in suits.

Crowley's bodyguards, Sam and Dean assumed.

They immediately attacked the brothers, the taller, bulkier one going for Sam, and the long dark haired one going for Dean.

It happened too fast for Dean and Sam to shoot either one of them, so it became a fist fight, with an occasional gun butt to the head.

As they fought, the brothers lured the demons into the bedroom, leading them to the center of the room under the devil's trap.

Once the demons were trapped, Sam and Dean backed off. The demons growled in frustration when they couldn't follow. They glanced around but saw nothing that should be keeping them in their places until Dean looked up and they did too, seeing the symbol on the ceiling clearly with their night vision.

Dean smirked, and Sam began the exorcism.

When it was over, two lifeless bodies lay on the floor.

Sam and Dean dragged them off to the side of the room and waited.

If Crowley was in the house, he was bound to come to investigate once he realized how long his guards had been away.

They were right.

Less than a minute later the King of Hell appeared in the doorway.

He glanced at the empty meat suits in the corner of the room and sighed.

"Winchesters."

He looked up at the brothers. "We've got to stop meeting this way."

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><p><strong>AN: And the plot thickens. Just an FYI this chapter would be like the 9th episode of the 7th Season so there are a few chapters left and then we're mid-season and I start up the second book.**


	10. Chapter 10

Dean pulled the demon knife out of his jacket pocket.

Crowley took step forward, ending up right on the rim of the devil's trap.

Dean and Sam tensed, hoping, praying, Crowley would put another foot forward and get caught in the circle. Unfortunately, Crowley was still one of the few demons smart enough to look up.

Crowley smirked. "You know what they say. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." His expression darkened; his voice became menacing. "Bobby got me once; I won't be caught twice. Especially not by you bloody morons. Did you really think you could waltz right in here and kill me?"

"That was the idea," Dean said, readjusting the grip he had on the knife.

Crowley rolled his eyes. "You boys are more stupid then I thought. Wait," he paused, "Actually, no, I did think you were that stupid. So I came prepared."

As if on command, a growling came from Crowley's side.

Sam and Dean's eyes grew wide with fear. They knew, all too well, what that terrible sound meant.

Crowley grinned, patted the enormous creature beside him on the back, then yelled, "Sick 'em boy!"

The Winchesters could not see the hellhound obey, could not see it jump into the air, but they certainly felt it as it crashed into them and knocked them both to the ground.

Winded from the impact of the heavy beast Dean and Sam gasped for air, dazed long enough for it to be able to have the opportunity to grab Dean's shirt sleeve in its powerful jaws and throw him up against the wall.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, worried.

Crowley watched the scene playing out before him gleefully. He'd been waiting for this for a long, long, time.

The hellhound turned away from Dean, who was now unconscious, and faced Sam, who was in a crouch, having been in the process of standing.

The beast yipped happily, and then bolted towards Sam, aiming his huge jaws for Sam's throat.

The only warning Sam had was the breeze that blew into his face as the hellhound fell upon him.

Sam quickly raised his hands to shield himself from the impact he was expecting, but it never came.

Instead, just as he felt the creature's leathery skin brush his, it released a loud cry, and jerked aside, as if shoved away from him.

Sam lowered his arms and looked up. Sofiel was standing before him, the demon knife in her hands and dripping blood. He glanced to his left to see a dark pool of blood slowly expanding on the floor, then back at Sofiel. Their eyes met for a moment before she turned to lay hers on Crowley, who was obviously stunned by her sudden appearance and execution of his hellhound.

"You bloody angel," he snapped, glaring at her intensely. "That was my best hound."

"Good," Sofiel said flatly.

"You'll pay for this," Crowley growled.

As he disappeared to the safety of Hell to figure out his next move, Sofiel's lips curved slightly. "Whenever you're ready, demon."

She then looked down at Sam. "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine. Heal Dean."

Sofiel nodded and moved to kneel beside his brother. She lightly brushed Dean's cheek with the back of her hand, sending her power through him, healing the injuries to his head and his broken nose.

Dean awakened with a start, gasping, staring at Sofiel. "How'd you get in here? The place was completely covered with Enochian symbols. And where's Crowley? More importantly, Sam?"

Sam stood and walked into Dean's view. "I'm right here, Dean."

"Okay, that answers one question," Dean said pointedly.

Sofiel stood as Sam helped Dean to his feet.

"It's not that hard to get a demon to destroy a symbol if they don't like who it's protecting," she explained. "As for that demon Crowley, he's a lot more cowardly than I thought he would be, considering his rank in Hell."

"He surprised you and me both," Dean grunted. "I'd forgotten about his gigantic freakin dog."

"You won't have to worry about it anymore," Sofiel told him, handing him the demon knife.

Dean studied the drying blood on it, put the weapon away, and then looked back to her face. "Thanks for that." And he was honestly grateful. With the hellhound dead, he and Sam had one less thing to worry about the next time they ran into Crowley. He felt his grudge against Sofiel for being an angel slip a little. He definitely still didn't trust her, but he wouldn't be so bristled around her anymore. She'd earned that.

Sofiel nodded at him.

"So how'd you know we'd be here?" Sam piped, curious.

"Bobby," Sofiel answered. "After he threatened to take his chances and call Castiel to 'smite my ass' if you two didn't make your presence on Earth known by tomorrow. So please, call him soon. I won't be much more help if he gets me killed."

"We will," Sam promised.

Sofiel unfurled her wings, making a quiet swishing sound.

"Where are you going?" Dean inquired.

Sofiel sighed. "Where do you think? Somewhere, everywhere, wherever I decide is a good place to go. I'm on the run, remember? It's best I keep it up."

"Any luck on finding a way to get Purgatory's souls back to where they belong?" Dean asked.

"Is that why you wanted to see us?" Sam added.

"No to both questions," Sofiel replied. "I just wanted to know if you two had learned anything yourselves. I take it you haven't."

"Unfortunately not," Dean huffed. "The only lead we had was on Crowley's location. So we thought we'd take care of him while the opportunity was there."

"You two should have not come on your own," Sofiel scolded them. "It is his cunning ways that got that demon to his current position in Hell. Next time, let me assist if you decide to try to take revenge on him again anytime soon."

With that, she teleported away, leaving the brothers feeling scorned. Well, at least Dean, anyways.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Sam grumbled.

Dean sighed. "Yeah, I know."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't worry, this is not the last we'll see of Crowley in this "season". I've got future plans for him. As for this story, I got quite a lot done in this chapter. There might only be one more chapter in this book and then I can start the next one.**


	11. Chapter 11

A couple weeks later, just after November had given way to December, he found her.

Sofiel had been walking a narrow path up an unnamed mountain in the Himalayas, to one of her secret resting spots, when she heard a rustling sound from behind her that did not coincide with the sound of the whirling, freezing, wind that was a near constant in the Himalayan winter.

She whipped around in her spot to peer behind her, but could not see far through the blinding snowfall with her vessel's meager eyes.

Then out of nowhere, he pounced on her, knocking her into the snowy gray rock wall that was to her left.

Sofiel winced as her shoulder was sliced by a sharp, jutting piece of the mountainside, but in an instant the pain and the tiny flesh wound were gone.

Castiel pinned Sofiel to the rock with one arm and stared at her with cold, furious eyes.

"Did you really think I wouldn't be able to find you if you minimized your use of your powers?" Castiel chuckled. "Think again."

"Castiel, please don't," Sofiel begged as Castiel raised an angel sword up to her chest level. "I'm trying to help you. Remember who you used to be."

After she spoke, there was a flicker of regret in Castiel's dark blue eyes, one that a normal human would not have been able to catch, before he lined the sword up with her vessel's heart.

"I am not HIM anymore. No more am I weak. You sided with Raphael in the war. I will show you no mercy."

Just as Castiel was about to plunge the sword into her vessel's heart and her grace, Sofiel summoned every ounce of her strength and shoved Castiel away from her, surprising him, and sending him off the cliff. She watched as he fell and fell and fell until he disappeared from sight, on his way to the bottom of the mountain, six thousand feet below.

Knowing that even an angel could survive a fall like that, Sofiel immediately teleported away. She had to get as far away as possible before Castiel landed at the foot of the mountain, before he healed. All she could think about was getting away, but she didn't know where would be best. So, in her panic, she flew to the worst possible place she could have gone.

She flew to Bobby's, she found out where Sam and Dean were hunting several lower demons...

And she left the house to search for them...

Finding them in a warehouse just outside of Lincoln, Nebraska.

* * *

><p>Dean and Sam had just finished battling and killing the three demons they'd been after when Sofiel appeared in front of them, seemingly breathless.<p>

"What the hell?" Dean said, caught off guard. "Sofiel? What's going on?"

"Castiel found me in the Himalayas," Sofiel rushed. "I ran."

"You ran towards us!" Dean shouted. "Are you stupid?"

Sofiel was hit with realization and devastation. _What have I done?_ She thought.

"Dean, if Cas is on his way, we don't have time to yell at her," Sam said, tugging on Dean's sleeve. "We have to leave, _now_."

Dean nodded, and the brothers turned around on their heels, ready to run for the Impala.

But they hadn't been fast enough.

Standing before them was Castiel, caked with blood and a wild look in his eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know, I know, it's a mean cliffy, but it was such a natural end point for a chapter I had to do it. I'll be posting the final chapter soon, hopefully tomorrow, if that makes any difference. **


	12. Chapter 12

Sam and Dean froze in their spots, eyes wide.

"Let me through," Castiel commanded them. "I'll take care of you two after Sofiel."

Ever so stubborn Dean stood in place, and Sam, ever so brave, stuck by his side.

"If you want to get to her, go around us," Dean said. "I'm not going to move just because you're too lazy to take the long way around."

"Fine," Castiel huffed. "You'll be first then. I take you haven't changed your mind about bowing before me after this stunt?"

"You got that right, you son of a bitch," Dean hissed. "We'll _never_ bow to you. Ever."

Castiel sighed. "Then you leave me no choice."

He raised his hand to obliterate them with light but Sofiel rammed herself into him, knocking him off balance.

Castiel turned to growl at her. "You pest!" he yelled.

"If you want to get to the Winchesters, you have to get through me first," Sofiel announced.

"That was the plan," Castiel snarled.

He then threw her up against a beam in the warehouse, and manifested an angel sword in his right hand.

He approached Sofiel with the confident stride of someone who knew he was going to get his way.

But Sofiel wasn't about to let him win easily.

When he was only a few steps away from her she bounced up onto her feet and punched him in the face.

Unfortunately, but as the Winchesters expected, the action didn't do much besides make Castiel even more pissed off then he already was.

Castiel grabbed Sofiel by the throat with one hand and squeezed.

"No matter how hard you fight," Castiel sneered. "You can't defeat me."

Sofiel tried to swat his hand away, then tried to pry it from her neck, but it didn't work. Castiel was too strong. It was as if his hand was super glued to her neck.

Seeing that Sofiel was in trouble, Dean did the only thing he could think of to distract Castiel for a moment. He stabbed him in the back with Sofiel's sword, which had fallen out of her pocket when Castiel had thrown her.

Castiel released his death grip on Sofiel and turned to glare at Dean as he pulled the sword out of his back with his just newly freed hand.

"How many times will you need to do that before you realize that I can't be killed by this thing anymore?"

"That wasn't the purpose," Dean replied.

As he finished speaking, Sofiel jumped onto Castiel's back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Run!" she shouted. "Be quick!"

Sam and Dean nodded, and bolted towards the warehouse doors, but when they reached them they discovered that they couldn't open them. The doors didn't have any locks, but that hadn't stopped Castiel from creating a spell to keep them closed. There was no escape.

Reluctantly, Dean and Sam spun around to look behind them. They turned just in time to see Castiel slam his back against a support beam, with Sofiel still hanging on and acting as a buffer.

Sore, Sofiel released Castiel, and he faced her. Sam and Dean could only watch in horror as Castiel stabbed the half hunched angel in the stomach with one of the two angel swords he now possessed. At impact, Sofiel gasped.

Shocked by the scene that had played out before them and unsure of how to help the angel as she let her body slide against the beam to a sitting position on the ground, the Winchesters remained rooted in their spots.

Sure that Sofiel would eventually die of her wounds and would not get in his way anymore, Castiel turned to the brothers, looking triumphant.

"And now for you two," he smiled coldly.

There was a dramatic pause, as if time stood still, and then Castiel raised his right hand.

As light began to illuminate from it, Sam and Dean closed their eyes and shielded their faces with their arms, expecting their demise.

But it never came. There was only the sound of a feminine gasp, Sofiel's, and a loud thump as something heavy hit the concrete.

Dean and Sam lowered their arms and opened their eyes. When they saw the scene before them, they gaped.

A couple of yards away, Castiel lay on the ground, dead, his white shirt dirty with a blood patch right below his rib cage.

Dean couldn't believe his eyes. "What the hell?"

Sofiel coughed, and Sam and Dean gazed at her, surprised to see that she was still breathing, let alone conscious.

"He was here," she murmured, voice quaking.

"Who?" Sam prompted.

Sofiel focused on Sam, and he could see wonder shining in her eyes.

"God," she breathed. "It was God. He was _here_!"

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><p><strong>AN: And that is the end of 7x10 and the first half of the season. ****Stay tuned for Mission: Redemption, and don't forget to review! ;)**


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